R&B
Obongjayar Announces Debut Album Some Nights I Dream of Doors, Shares “Try”: Stream
Nigerian-British musician Obongjayar has announced his debut album, Some Nights I Dream of Doors, out May 13th via September Recordings. As the latest preview, he’s shared the motivational new single, “Try.” Some Nights I Dream of Doors spans 12 tracks and blends traditional Nigerian sounds with jazz, R&B, alternative, and pop music. Along with the diverse sonic palette, the album also addresses a number of personal and political topics. Preorders are ongoing. The rousing “Try” was produced by Barney Lister and serves as a wake-up call from Obongjayar. “You always thought you knew/ Just the thing to do,” he sings. “Always thought this world would change its course for you/ Don’t be discouraged my dear if the doors don’t swing/ Hold on, keep on pushing.” Watch the accompanying video bel...
Arlo Parks Drops New Single “Softly”: Stream
One of 2021’s breakout stars, Arlo Parks has returned with “Softly,” her first song of 2022. “‘Softly’ is a song about yearning, about how fragile you feel in the dying days of a relationship when you’re still desperately in love,” Arlo Parks said of the track in a statement. “The song is about how it feels to brace yourself before the blow of a break up and reminisce about the days where it all felt luminous.” “Softly” starts out (you guessed it) softly, as Arlo Parks begs a soon-to-be ex to let her down easy while piano twinkles over a quick-moving beat. Once the chorus rolls around, however, the singer-songwriter reaches a volume we haven’t seen from her before. “Break it to me softly/ I don’t want no one else,” she repeats, banging out low chords. In the accompanying music video, Arlo ...
The Weeknd Watches Himself Watching Himself in ‘Gasoline’ Behind-The-Scenes Video
At this point only The Weeknd really understands the emerging storyline behind his No. 1 album Dawn FM. But thanks to a new behind-the-scenes video that takes fans inside the filming of the dramatic visual for the album single, “Gasoline,” we get a glimpse of the intricate machinations that went into the climactic scene where present-day Abel fights an aged-up version of himself. Explore See latest videos, charts and news The clip — tagged as the “XO Vision” — opens with a make-up artists applying the aging wrinkles around the singer’s eye as he stands still amid a room full of writhing bodies in a club scene. Soon enough, 2022 Weeknd pops in, sitting in a director’s chair watching footage on a monitor while getting a touch-up on his hair before we’re back to old man Abel standing still as...
R.I.P. Fred Parris, “In the Still of the Night” Songwriter Dead at 85
Fred Parris, bandleader of The Five Satins, a doo-wop group known for their smash hit “In the Still of the Night,” died Thursday at the age of 85. “Fred’s classic song ‘In the Still of the Night’ has been recognized as one of the greatest love songs of all time and the number one requested song of the doo-wop era,” Parris’ family wrote on his Facebook page. “Fred also wrote several other classic songs and his gorgeous voice enthralled audiences world-wide for decades. The Five Satins family is devastated by this loss but appreciative of having shared Fred’s music with thousands of fans and friends.” Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Parris discovered R&B music while digging through his family’s records and spent his youth singing in local groups. He wrote “In the Still of the Night” whil...
FKA twigs Unveils New Mixtape CAPRISONGS: Stream
FKA twigs has released her new mixtape CAPRISONGS via Young/Atlantic Records. Stream it below on Apple Music and Spotify. The 19-track project was preceded by lead single “Tears in the Club” with The Weeknd, as well as with the Rema-assisted “Jealousy.” The tracklist also includes collaborations with Pa Salieu (“Honda”), Daniel Caesar (“Careless”), Jorja Smith and Unknown T (“Darjeeling”), and more. twigs herself executive produced CAPRISONGS with El Guincho, working with producers like Mike Dean, Cirkut, and Warren Ellis. Announcing CAPRISONGS on Twitter last week, the British singer-songwriter called the mixtape, “my journey back to myself through my amazing collaborators and friends,” while also pointing to her own astrological chart as part of the project’s inspiration. ...
FKA twigs’ 10 Best Songs
FKA twigs, born Tahliah Barnett, made a name for herself as a proponent of the avant garde. She’s a true multi-hyphenate — she’s a vocalist, she writes her music, she’s an incredible dancer, and a large part of her music video repertoire is self-directed. Regardless of the type of track she releases, FKA twigs has managed to find a way to ensure that a listener can immediately identify a piece of her work. She’s not afraid to explore genres and sounds, and her discography so far could be described as R&B, electronic, hyperpop, and trippy — and all of those categorizations would be true. This Friday (January 14th), she’ll be releasing a new collection of music in the form of a mixtape called CAPRISONGS. To celebrate, we’ve rounded up ten of her best tracks so far. Advertisement Check ou...
Basketball Player Dylan Gonzalez Accuses Trey Songz of Rape
Content warning: Acts of sexual assault are detailed in this piece. Former University of Nevada Las Vegas basketball player Dylan Gonzalez has accused Trey Songz of raping her. Gonzalez first accused the R&B singer of sexual assault on December 30th, but didn’t provide any other information at the time. Now, she’s come forward with a more personal allegation against the singer. “With what seems like endlessly recurring news of the alleged sexually assaults committed by Trey Songz, I am forced to repeatedly relive in my mind, and suffer anew, the long-supressed horror and unbearable PTSD of my rape by his very hands at a well known Las Vegas hotel,” Gonzalez tweeted on January 11th. “I want to send my love, strength, and hope to all who are victims of sexual assault and its fatal nature...
The Weeknd Hints at New Trilogy, Shares New “Gasoline” Video: Watch
Sonically, The Weeknd’s new album, Dawn FM, draws from a similar throwback era as his 2020 effort, After Hours, and it looks like fans should expect more of the same from his next studio set. In a recent tweet, the superstar explained the albums are part of a greater collection, writing “I wonder… did you know you’re experiencing a new trilogy?” Longtime fans of The Weeknd will recall the Toronto native got his start with a trio of 2011 mixtapes — House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence — establishing the mysterious artist as an emerging force in R&B. After signing to Republic Records, the projects were collected together as part of an official release titled Trilogy featuring a handful of bonus tracks. Along with the teaser, The Weeknd released a new music video f...
R.I.P. James Mtume, Jazz and R&B Musician Dead at 76
James Mtume, the multi-instrumentalist who performed with Miles Davis before founding the R&B group Mtume, has died at the age of 76, Pitchfork reports. No cause of death has been revealed. The son of jazz saxophonist Jimmy Heath, James Mtume (born James Heath Jr.) grew up in a musical environment. He was raised by his mother, Bertha Forman, and pianist James “Hen Gates” Forman, who played in Charlie Parker’s band and introduced Mtume to the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, and Sonny Rollins. In 1969, Mtume took on percussion on his uncle Albert “Tootie” Heath’s album Kawaida, which also featured Jimmy Heath, Don Cherry, and Herbie Hancock. A member of the Black empowerment collective US Organization, Mtume released the album Land of the Blacks in 1972 under th...
Song of the Week: The Weeknd Struggles With a “Sacrifice”
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist. For our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, a new single from The Weeknd provides the perfect Friday soundtrack. The Weeknd went high-concept with Dawn FM, the new album that arrived today, January 7th — and it worked. The radio station storyline is tinged with an air of sadness, and the commitment to the bit feels perfectly paired with the artist’s penchant for ’80s sounds. “Sacrifice,” the artist’s next single, is more of the irresistible fare for which The Weeknd has become known. He knows how to keep things interesting, pulling off homages that don’t feel outdated,...
The Weeknd Releases New Album Dawn FM: Stream
The Weeknd has dropped his new album, Dawn FM, via XO/Republic Records. Stream it below on Apple Music and Spotify. The 16-track LP features the hit single “Take My Breath,” as well as collaborations with Tyler, the Creator (“Here We Go…Again”) and Lil Wayne (“I Heard You’re Married”). Other album contributors include Quincy Jones, Oneohtrix Point Never, and actor/comedian Jim Carrey, who struck up a friendship with The Weeknd over the pandemic. “Music can heal and that feels more important than another album rollout. Let’s just drop the whole thing and enjoy it with the people,” The Weeknd wrote in a note teasing the album’s imminent release last week. Advertisement Related Video To celebrate the release, The Weeknd will present “103.5 Dawn FM,” a livestream event which will air excl...
Jill Scott Shuts Down Sex Tape Rumors: ‘Y’all Too Much’
Twitter went wild Tuesday after rumors of a sex tape involving Jill Scott went viral on the platform, and the singer is not having it. “Say word!?!” the R&B singer tweeted alongside a GIF of herself taking her bows onstage in front of an adoring crowd. “I expect this energy when my new movies, albums and tv show drop. Ya’ll too much. #headedbacktowork #hydrate.” Soon enough, however, the Twitterverse realized that the salacious gossip was just that, and no such video was being passed around in links and DMs. Explore Explore Jill Scott See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “It’s no Jill Scott sex tape that mf was lying. How you gone start a rumor like that ?! Report his account,” one fan wrote, while a second chimed in, “You know what, if y’all lying abou...
